"I'm in a fortunate position where I can pick and choose what I want to do, and EastEnders at the moment, I said no to it," he told Liverpool radio station Radio City. "I just need to take a break from television and a little break away from showbiz.

"Trust me, it's not because I've got loads of money, because that is far from the truth. But I just need to pick and choose."

"Thankfully, Kat and Alfie are not dead. That's as much as I know," Richie confirmed in October. "You know what I love? Every time you get actors, they always say, 'Never say never'. And I've watched and I've gone, 'Shut up, never say never'.

"Because all these actors make out it's their decision whether they go back or not, and it's bollocks. It's never their decision.